Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany

Q: What is the focus of your lab’s research?

A: One of the topics of our lab is the interaction of insect pheromones and their analogues with pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) which are part of an extremely sensitive multi-component pheromone detection system.

We utilize binding assays to determine the function of the PBPs through affinity measurements of the protein-ligand receptors, calculate binding constants, the spatial arrangement of the complex and do modeling. In addition, point-mutated PBPs are used for a better understanding of the contribution of individual amino acids to the binding event.

Q: How does the TriVersa NanoMate® (TVNM) align with your research goals?

A: The TVNM enabled us to develop a high-throughput method to study protein-ligand-interactions for large series of different pheromones and their analogues.

As the binding energies involved are very low and we need to preserve the native structure of the molecules, the soft-ionization conditions of the TVNM are perfect for us. Further, these studies are difficult with classic electrospray, due to the stickiness of the samples. They create problems from short cleaning cycles and produce contaminations.

In contrast, the established method with the TVNM is reliable and stable, and it eliminates the sticky sample issues. In addition, multiple experiments with very low quantities of protein (1 nmol) at different cone-voltage conditions are possible.

We recently added the LESA™ (Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis) capability to the TVNM. This enables us to detect putative signal molecules on leaf surfaces and to track down their production and storage sites by comparing the data with extracts from samples derived from the inner compartments of the leaves.

Q: To whom would you recommend the TriVersa NanoMate for their research?

A: I would recommend the TriVersa NanoMate to everybody because it is a universal source. With direct infusion, coupling for fraction collection and surface analysis, it may replace all ionization sources.

LESA – Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis

More analytes and higher sensitivity

Developed in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory*, the liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA) capability of the TriVersa Nanomate® enables simple, direct ESI mass spectrometric analysis from a variety of surfaces.

Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis Mass Spectrometry (LESA-MS) Novel Profiling Tool for Drug Distribution & Metabolism Analysis

Presented by: Dr. Daniel Eikel, Sr. Application Scientist – Advion, Inc.

Description: Liquid extraction surface analysis mass spectrometry (LESA-MS) is a novel mass spectrometry-based surface-profiling technique (Kertez, et al., 2009) that can be utilized in drug distribution and metabolism studies. Potential advantages of LESA-MS are as follows:

  • No radiolabeled compound is required
  • Its overall sensitivity appears favorable compared to autoradiography or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI)
  • No additional sample preparation such as MALDI matrix application is required.

In this webinar, Dr. Daniel Eikel expands upon his publication (Henion, et al., 2011), discussing how LESA-MS can provide complementary information to the gold standards in this field: quantitative whole body autoradiography (QWBA) and whole organ LC-MS/MS, or other MS based approaches such as MALDI-MSI. He demonstrates how they have evaluated LESA-MS by studying the drug distribution and metabolism of terfenadine in mouse, and through direct comparison, proved that LESA-MS appears to be more informative than a comparable MALDI-MSI experiment and reflects the literature-known metabolism and distribution pattern for terfendine and its metabolite fexofenadine.

LESA™ – Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis: A New Surface Analysis Technique Using the Advion TriVersa NanoMate

Presented by: Thomas Covey, Principal Research Scientist at AB SCIEX

Thomas Covey describes how various organizations are incorporating the fast, simple, and direct method of LESA – Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis – into their labs. He shows data that illustrates how you can see more analytes with better sensitivity by combining LESA with mass spectrometry and chip-based nanoESI via Advion’s TriVersa NanoMate. This new analytical technique has a wide range of applications for sample analysis from a variety of surfaces e.g. tissue slices, TLC plates, MALDI plates, and Dried Blood Spots.

Dr. Covey also demonstrates the latest LESA upgrade – LESA Points software that provides simple, point-and-click surface analysis. Users can scan a digital image of their samples and select sampling positions within 90-μm resolution. The new upgrade also provides a specially-developed mounting block that keeps all kinds of surfaces at a fixed height for simple method set-up.

HRMS, Chemical Modification and Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis for Lipidome Profiling of Colon Adenocarcinom

Presented by: Gavin Reid, Associate Professor at Michigan State University

A large number of studies have demonstrated that disruption of lipid metabolism or signaling pathways can play a key role in the onset and progression of human disease, including cancer and diabetes. Thus, a comparative analysis of changes in individual lipids or lipid profiles (i.e., the lipidome) between normal and diseased cells, tissues, organs, or accessible bodily fluids (e.g., tumor interstitial fluid, blood plasma or serum), may enable the identification and characterization of lipids that can serve as effective biomarker signatures of the disease. In this presentation, the development and application of a straightforward and high throughout analysis strategy consisting of high-resolution ‘shotgun’ mass spectrometry (MS), ‘targeted’ tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), functional group specific chemical modification and in situ liquid extraction of cell culture samples is described for the comprehensive identification, characterization and quantification of multiple lipid classes from within a colon adenocarcinoma cell line, SW480, and its metastasized derivative, SW620.